Quick Recipe Ideas - Leftover Fire in WFO

[heliman]

I cooked 3 pizzas for lunch today and afterwards I couldn't help thinking that I was letting a perfectly good fire go to waste. On the spur of the moment I wasn't able to think of a quick recipe to use (other than a loaf of bread or something similar).

I have heard of people popping a chicken in and closing the door for an hour or so, but I'm sure that the experts here have some better recipe ideas for what must be quite a common problem.

Suggestions welcomed...

Rossco

[Archena]

Re: Quick Recipe Ideas - Leftover Fire in WFO

I'm not an expert, but that's never stopped me before ...

1) Roasting meat
2) Baking biscuits or other high heat baked goods (Use double acting baking powder for quick breads - regular won't rise properly at really high temps. Yeast breads vary.)
3) Starting stews or chilies - covered and away from the fire. Still too hot to do more than start unless it's frozen or you cook from the door (away from direct heat). Otherwise, put it in, turn it a couple times and take it out once it's hot. (I have cooked on fire - just not a wood oven - yet...)
4) Searing virtually anything.

W/o the fire:
1) Roasting thick meats (too hot and you end up eating charred raw meat)
2) Baking breads and other lower temp baked goods
3) Stews and chilies
4) Casseroles
5) Pies
6) Some bar cookies, brownies

Much lower temps:
1) Soups
2) Low temp baked goods (muffins, cakes - things that bake low and slow)
3) "Barbecuing" meats - technically not bbq without the smoke but you can still get good results, especially with tougher cuts. Lemon chicken would be heavenly.
4) Fish (thick cuts and light fish unless you want them seared, in which case try it earlier).
5) Thick, heavy vegetables (Radishes, potatoes, rutabagas)
6) Cobblers
7) Cookies and candies
8) Anything you just want to warm up. At really cool temps you can speed up thawing on meats.

Really cool temps:
1) Light soups
2) Thin, light vegetables (peppers, tomatoes)
3) Some candies



I've been planning a while - can you tell?

[heliman]

Re: Quick Recipe Ideas - Leftover Fire in WFO

Brilliant - thanks for sharing Archena...

Rossco

[dmun]

Re: Quick Recipe Ideas - Leftover Fire in WFO

I'm thinking that creme brule? is ideal for oven heat (and not a bad desert after pizza) I haven't gotten around to trying it, though.

[gvzepp]

Re: Quick Recipe Ideas - Leftover Fire in WFO

Hi Rossco,

A good high heat meal I've seen this past weekend on the cooking channel was..salt encased salmon or trout ? , Stefano's from Mildura did a Salmon in a wfo on his show that looked very nice and very moist, I will give it a go myself

What he did was to fill the cavity of the fish with herbs and thinly sliced lemon, then wrap the fish from head to tail in baking paper, then in a large mixing bowl he slowly added salt with 12 lightly beaten egg whites ( it was a big fish ) and hand whisked the two together until he could pick up the salt like a snow ball mixture.

Then he laid a bed of the egg and salt mix in a large baking dish placed the fish still wrapped in baking paper on that, then covered the top of the fish with the remaining mixture. This went into his wfo for 30 minutes..then he pulled it out and let it rest for another 30 minutes cracked the salt and it just looked fantastic, and it really took bugger all to prepare

anyway hope this gives you another idea to try.

regards Brett.

[heliman]

Re: Quick Recipe Ideas - Leftover Fire in WFO

Hi Brett - thanks for that feedback...

Fish certainly is a great option for the WFO and I have done it only once before. I have a friend with a boat and he often comes home with a suitable catch, and he has recently offered to bring one around to get it "fired". He has cooked some superb fish in the Weber and understands the intricacies of cooking a fish (easy to ruin them - ask me how I know!!). I have left the offer open so will have to wait and see what arrives at the door.

Back to the topic though - what I was thinking about was something small and simple to just throw into the oven when it still has enough heat to cook. Breads and biscuits come to mind as alternatives. After the evenings cooking is complete (and nobody wants to eat another crumb of pizza) I would like to be able to toss something in - leave it for a while - and take it out at the end ... most likely to be eaten the next day. Just wanted to get some ideas on that if anyone had them ...

Cheers

Rossco

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Quick Recipe Ideas - Leftover Fire in WFO

Rossco, you've started a GREAT thread here.

I had enough of waking up the next morning after a pizza party, removing my oven door, pointing the IR thermometer in there just to stay "wow...it's still 380 degrees!" It seems like such a waste. But you know, after a stomach full of pizza, feeding the fire for hours and a good bottle of wine , it's easy to just go to bed. Not any more.

Twice now I've thrown dry, (not soaked in water since it's not planned) white navy beans in an enamel-iron covered pot with 1.5- 2 times the normal water, a few crushed garlic cloves, herbs de Provence, half a can of tomato paste or whole tomatoes and salt & pepper. In 8-10 hours it's a wonderful Tuscan bean side dish to use a few times at dinner the rest of the week.

For the following day, I've read another post that cut cherry tomatoes, seasoned and olive oiled then let them dry for a half day when the oven is in the 200 degree or less range. I did cherry tomatoes and a few larger sliced ones that are better than any I've purchased.

I've got an 8 hour low temp pork recipe I make in the oven often on holidays that will be perfect in the WFO. It's rubbed with fennel and garlic, seared, then cooks at 200 deg overnight. It'll be great in the WFO. I'll post pics soon. Also, I really like the fish suggestions.

Really enjoying the helpful hints from everyone, Thanks, Dino

[Archena]

Re: Quick Recipe Ideas - Leftover Fire in WFO

Hi Rossco,
...
Then he laid a bed of the egg and salt mix in a large baking dish placed the fish still wrapped in baking paper on that, then covered the top of the fish with the remaining mixture. This went into his wfo for 30 minutes..then he pulled it out and let it rest for another 30 minutes cracked the salt and it just looked fantastic, and it really took bugger all to prepare

anyway hope this gives you another idea to try.

regards Brett.

Alton Brown did that, too. Regular oven was a bit small - he had to cut the tail fins off as he shoved it in there.

[heliman]

Re: Quick Recipe Ideas - Leftover Fire in WFO

Rossco, you've started a GREAT thread here.

Thanks for the kind words Dino ...

That pork recipe sounds incredible. One can just prepare it between waiting for the pizza dough to rise, then pop it in the oven and leave it on autopilot till the next day. I reckon that would be the moset tender, flavoursome pork ever!!!

BTW - Inspired by the pics of your amazing loaves in the other thread, I have just popped out to the bookshop at lunch to see if I can find that reference book that you used for the recipes. Unfortunately the shop I went to didn't have it so I will try in Perth city after work. I have found it online so may just get it there if it's not available on the shelf.

Look forward to seeing more of your cooking activities - this is certainly inspirational stuff.

Cheers

Rossco

[Modthyrth]

Re: Quick Recipe Ideas - Leftover Fire in WFO

I've gotten into the habit of doing bagels the morning after a pizza, lasagna for dinner that night. I made a batch of homemade spinach lasagna noodles once, and that single batch has made one 9x13 and 3 9x9 lasagnas. I use up all sorts of leftover toppings and sauce, too, so it's a marvelous use of items that have gone to waste in the past.

Last time I had two leftover dough balls, too, so I made two non-traditional calzones. The near one is filled with chicken, feta, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and kalamata olives, Parmesan and fresh rosemary on the top. The far one is filled with chicken breast, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and pesto.





They were really good, and it feels like a pretty good use of the leftover heat and ingredients, but I'm loving this thread for more varied ideas.

I'd love that pork recipe too, Dino, if you're willing to share. Your beans recipe makes me really really wish I liked beans!

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: Quick Recipe Ideas - Leftover Fire in WFO

Nikki, your make-shift calzones look great! I'm always freezing 1-2 left over dough balls but I still make a fresh batch anyway for the next pizza party. I'll have to defrost my month old left over dough balls and try the calzones.
As for my overnight roasted port, I didn't take pics last time but with holidays and colder weather coming, it won't be long and I'll post pics and the recipe.

2 days ago, I still had 280 deg heat in the oven so I threw in logs to bring it up to 400, put in 2 game hens, a shallow dish of quartered potatoes, garlic, EVO, lemon, oregano and 2 yams wrapped in foil. Everything cooked in 1.5 hours but the yams. Left them in till after dinner but used them the next day after warming. Next time, I'll make a point of having root vegetables and squashes ready for after a pizza fest or bread baking. -Cheers, Dino

[heliman]

Re: Quick Recipe Ideas - Leftover Fire in WFO

Hey Dino - sounds like you eat like a king over there!

Hope we all get invited around to your place to sample your cuisine. We keep getting teased with gastronomic delight after gastronomic delight from you!!! This has got to stop !!

Rossco